Allison takes helm at American Extrusion Services

By: Angie DeRosa

April 16, 2012

ORLANDO, FLA. (April 16, 1 p.m. ET) — American Extrusion Services Inc. (Booth 5562) is under new leadership as David Allison has been named operations director. Allison formerly was procurement manager with Honda.

AES, a roughly 16-employee shop, doesn’t have a president or CEO. The operations director is the highest official in the company.

It’s a role Allison said he is ready and willing to embrace.

“I wanted to run a small company,” Allison said in a recent interview at NPE2012 in Orlando. “Basically, I wanted more freedom to use all my skills at the same time.”

Allison had experienced the bureaucracy of a large corporation. Under that structure, he was focused on one job. It was a very linear career, he said.

AES is based in Springboro, Ohio, near Dayton. The company offers extruder upgrades, gearbox rebuilds, bore scoping, screw and barrel measuring, replacement and refurbishment. It largely has been focused on single-screw equipment.

Allison sees opportunity for AES, which has been in business since 1989. He took over for founder Norm Zintz, who will become a consultant to the firm.

Allison said he would like to grow the company into twin-screw equipment refurbishment. Under his five-year plan, Allison wants to refresh the company. In his first year, he wants to make sure all core competencies are met. By year three, the company will be updated technologically and by year five, Allison’s goal is to expand and introduce philanthropy.

He will implement the processes he saw at Honda to make strides in standardization, working toward improving efficiency and effectiveness.

“I’d like to take that philosophy and apply it so that we’re prepared for growth,” he said at the Orlando show. From his time at Honda, Allison said he sees recovery in the automotive market.

“What is difficult for me to gauge is nonautomotive applications,” he said.

The company primarily will serve the North American market. Its primary sales are from the U.S., with lesser sales derived from Mexico and Canada.